Improvement in curtain-fixtures



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ATENT r A. HAYDN KNAPRoE NEWTON CENTRE, MASSACHUSETTS.'

IMPROVEMENT IN CURTAIN-FIXTURES.

speinctionforming part of Letters Patent No. 129,893, dated Juiyeo, 1572. y

To all whom t may concern:

`Be it known that I, A. HAYDN KNAPP, of Newton Centre, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Curtain-Fixtures and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying` drawing making part of this specification-'- Figure l bein ga frontvview of a curtain roller and fixtures provided with my improvements;

balance with a weighted tassel or sla-t, accord-V l ing to preference. My invention also consists in special features of improvement to be described in place. By this invention I produce a spring-roller which is convenient to operate, and which may be taken down at any time without unwinding `the spring, and whereby a weighted tassel `or Slat may be dispensed w-ith, if desired.A Also, by animproved bearing, when the balance device is used, the trouble of a too stiff spring, whereby thel shade is caused to run up atrthe bottom, and down at thetop of the window, is nearly obviated. Although an ordinary spring may be used in combination with my principal improvement, I prefer to use my improved redoubled layer spring, patented September 5,

1871. But there is an objection to winding the outer layer shorter than the next interior layer, since where the end is attached to the roller-case the pressure upon the interior layer, produced by a kind of leverage of the spring near the point of attachment, is so great as to cause thel adjacent surfaces of the layers to rub one another, thereby roughening the same so as to grate harshly and make 'a disagreeable noise. I obviate this objection by extending atube orhollow barrel, a, from the adjacent roller-cap b inward a short dis-I tance between the outer layerand the next inner layer ot the spring B, thus forming a smooth bearingfcr the outer layer, and entirely relieving-the other layers of the spring from ythe pressure, andvpreventing them from winding around or against the spindle.

, In order to obviate in a great measure, if not to entirely prevent, the running up of the shade at the bottom andthe running down thereof at the top of the window, I employ an enlarged bearing, c', made of some soft metal, at one or both ends ofthe roller. I nd that this affords sufficient friction to hold the shade stationary when once at rest, though affording no inconvenient resistance while the shade is in motion. vAnd as a further assistance in this respect, as well as to furnish a wider bearing-surface in the eye of the caps b and d, the said caps are made first with a smaller perforation, and then the metal is swaged so as to produce an extended surface. This also causes the bearings to wear better and to be less liable to creaking. l

Since windows of the same house and nomi- `nally of the same width are apt to vary in width considerably, sometimes a quarter of an inch or more, there is a diculty in cutting the rollers to t all, unlesscut at the house according to actual measurement of each window. `To obviate this necessityI make the. tube or side of the blank cap d considerably longer than usual, and form an oblong slot orv notch,

f, therein in which to drive the fastening nail j or screw, so that the cap may be driven further on or less far, thereby lengthening or shortening the roller to suit the window and still hold firmly on the roller..

The self-acting ratchet-fixture, which constitutes the principal feature of this invention, is constructed with a notched inner periphery or ratchet, h, on a projecting flange, g, of the roller-cap b, into which ratchet drops a detent or paul, i, pivoted to a xed projection, k, on the spindle C or the bracket D, the said detent being so arranged as to fall by its own weight into the notches ofthe ratchet and hold the rollerAfrom winding up, and so that a slight lifting thereof will disengage it from the ratchet. Below this detent is situated a lifter, Gr, preferably acting as a lever, pivoted to the bracket D in such a way that on raisingy one arm, m, with a projection, o, it will strike the detent i and lift it out of the ratchet.

The other arm of the lifter or lever terminates in a rod or wire, n., or its equivalent, which extends downward and laterally so as to hang suspended close in front ofthe shade S. The device being thus constructed and arranged, when the shade is simply drawn in its proper plane or position it will not disturb the detent i, which will hold the shade securely from being moved up by the force of the rollerspring, but by swinging the shade outward a little it pushes forward the wire a, and thereby lifts the detent out of the ratchet and allows the roller to wind up the shade, which it will continue to do so long as the shade is held forward, and the detent immediately falls into the ratchet themoment the shade is allowedto drop into its natural suspended position. The wire or rod u may be made to hang behind the shade; but there are objections to that arrangement, in that when the shade runs close up to the roller above this wire there is nothing to prevent its swinging forward and lifting the detent so as to allow the shade-roller to keep revolving except the resistance of the slat or tassel ofthe shade. The wire or its equivaient may bel arranged in any way so that a lateral movement of the shade will thereby lift the detent.

This self-acting ratchet-fixture is very efficient and convenient in action, offering two especial and important advantages over all other ratchet and pawl iixtures now in use, particularly those depending on centrifugal force to liberate the pawl: First, if the shade slips from the hands it immediately swings into its vertical position and locks the ratchet, so that it will run up but a very short distance; whereas if the shade gets awry with the centrifugal fixture it runs to the top with violence, causing great annoyance from the noise, and damaging the shade by ripping open or tearing the hem. This fixture also always stops the shade when run fully up the moment the shade falls into the vertical position,while the centrifugal shade often keeps unwinding from the roller while the spring uncoils. Second, when the shade is drawn downto any desired point it does not start back more than one-fourth of an inch,or the distance which one notch of the ratchet allows, so that when brought down to the windowsill it stays there; whereas with the centrifugal fixture the shade is liable to run back three or four inches, making it very difficult to cover the bottom of the window, and with deep box window-casin gs, if the shade is drawn forward and down lower than the window-sill, it is sure to get soiled by the dust thereon.

To change the ratchet-fixture into a simple balance-ixture the spindle C of the roller is turned half-way round in the bracket, thereby turning the pawl over so as always to swing away from the ratchet.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The pawl-lifter G, in combination with the pawl and ratchet of the roller, and with the shade so arranged that a lateral movement of the shade from its vertical or hanging position lifts the pawl from the ratchet and allows the shade to rise, and the return of the shade to its vertical position allows the pawl again to engage with the ratchet, substantially as herein specified.

2. The enlarged bearing or bearings c for the roller A, made of soft metal, in combination with the pivot projection of the bracket which supports the end of the roller, substaitially as and for the purpose herein speci- 3. The tubular bearing extending inward between the coils of the spring, substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

Specification signed by me'this 25th day of May, 1872.

A. HAYDN KNAPP.

Witnesses:

LYsANDER HOLMES, E. S. FARNsWoRTH. 

